Lucaya Prompt #14

"Please… stay..."

"Why do you let her flirt with you?" Maya questioned. They'd been fighting a lot recently about everything. Sometimes Maya finds things to pick at, like him moving her things. Other times Lucas finds things to pick at, like her leaving all of her things all over the house. Usually they come to an agreement but other times they'll just angrily let it go, only to fester.

"What do you mean? What am I supposed to do?" Lucas asked, "Tell her not to talk to me? I'm not flirting back." He wasn't sure why Maya was having such a fit over a girl he works with.

"Lucas, that's not the point. She's clearly flirting with you. She's always bating her eye lashes and touching your arm and just straight up flirting! Doesn't she know you have a girlfriend?"

"You're in there almost every day, Maya." Lucas explains, "Of course she knows you're my girlfriend."

"Then you need to set some boundaries with her." Maya decided. She couldn't understand why he didn't realize that he can't let some other girl flirt with him. It was like leading her on. Letting her think she could have a shot even though he has a girlfriend.

"What do you want from me, Maya?" Lucas sighed starting to get really irritated.

"I want you to care enough about me to not let some girl flirt with you!" Maya exclaimed, "I want you to make her realize that you're not interested in her… unless you are. In which case, go for it. She's prettier and smarter than me. I'm sure you'd much rather be with her anyway. That's probably why you let her flirt with you as it is." It was no secret that Maya was incredibly insecure. She never knew just how much she deserved. She never knew how pretty and smart and funny she really was. And she wore her heart on her sleeve around Lucas, showing just how vulnerable she was.

"Maya, you're being ridiculous. Stop. I love you and you know that." Lucas stated. "I don't like her. You have no reason to be jealous."

"I don't know. Maybe we're just not right for each other anymore." Maya sniffled, her eyes starting to tear up. "We're always fighting. You're hardly ever home and when you are we barely see each other. Maybe we're just not meant to be." This was the first time that Maya had been so blunt about their problems. The first time she ever told Lucas how much of a problem she felt the relationship was having.

"Maya. W-what are you talking about?" Lucas stuttered. "I don't understand where this is coming from. I know we have our fights but every couple does. And I'm not home very much because I'm trying to work and go to vet school. It's not because I don't want to be here with you. When I'm home I'm always studying or you're painting. I miss you too but we're both just so busy. I love you so much. I don't want this to end. Ever." Lucas had no clue she was this upset in their relationship. He knew that they were in a rough patch where they couldn't be around each other as much as they'd like. But he had no idea it was affecting her so much.

"I don't think this is working out. I-I don't know what to do." Maya stammered. "I can't be with someone who I'm never with. You don't even see that we're falling apart at the seams." Maya was giving up. She was putting all her walls up that Lucas had worked so hard to break down. She was terrified of the relationship ending. She felt him slipping through her fingers and she'd be damned to let him leave her. She'd end the relationship before she let him break her heart. Even if that meant breaking her own heart.

Maya walked urgently to the bedroom, grabbing a duffle bag and shoving clothes in it.

"Maya, what are you doing?" Lucas asked. "Maya, stop." He tried to hold her hands, to turn her toward him so they could talk things out but she resisted.

Maya was nearly sobbing at this point. She didn't want to leave but she felt like it was the best thing for her heart. She wouldn't let him leave her.

"Where are you going?" Lucas questioned. "I'll let you go. Let you cool off. But I need to know where you're going so I can check up on you and make sure you're okay."

"Riley's." Maya mumbled and grabbed her keys, slinging her bag over her shoulder and running out of the apartment before Lucas could try and say anything else.

Maya and I had a fight. She's headed to your apartment. Let me know when she gets there safely, please. Lucas texted Riley. He was worried about Maya but he had to let her calm down.

What'd you do this time? Riley replied.

She got upset because a girl at work was flirting with me. She said we fight too much and that we aren't good together. She said we're not working out. I'm gonna give her time to cool off but I won't let her leave like this. I love her. Lucas sent back.

Oh no. She's putting her walls back up. She's afraid of you leaving.

So she left me instead? How does that make sense? He responded.

She breaks her own heart instead of letting it get mangled by you. It makes sense in her head. I just buzzed her in. Come first thing in the morning and fix it. I'll talk to her.

"Peaches, what happened?" Riley observed Maya's tear streaked face and broken expression.

"I-I think I b-broke up with him…" Maya sobbed.

"Why?" Riley prodded.

"I d-don't know. It felt like we w-were drifting apart. I couldn't let him leave me, Riles."

"Oh, sweetie." Riley consoled. "You thought he was gonna leave, so you left him?"

"I won't let him break my heart. I can't." Maya blubbered.

"He loves you so much. He would never leave you." Riley insisted. "Have you thought about how this is affecting him? You probably just broke his heart."

"I didn't m-mean to. T-this isn't what I-I want." Maya was trying her hardest to keep her tears in, to no avail.

"It's okay, peaches." Riley comforted. "Calm down. Take the guest room, go to sleep. You can fix things in the morning. Right now you're not in the right mind to do anything. Okay?"

Maya nodded her head and dragged her feet to the guest bedroom plopping right down on the mattress, not even bothering to take her jeans off.

Maya was woken up to the wonderful smell of bacon, pancakes, and orange juice.

"I made your favorite."

Maya's head snapped in the direction of the, oh too familiar voice. Lucas was standing beside the bed holding a breakfast tray

"W-what are you doing here?" Maya whispered.

"I came to talk. To give a peace offering. To beg for you back. To refuse to let you leave me." Lucas proclaimed. "I'll be damned if I let you slip through my fingertips."

"I messed up." Maya confessed. "I was so worried about the fact that you have the potential to break my heart that I left. I told myself I would never be like my father but I left. I'm so sorry Lucas."

"I understand. What we fought about was real problems that we need to work on. But we need to try and work on them, not give up on the relationship. Please… Stay…"

"Always. I'm sorry I doubted you. Doubted us." Maya apologized.

Lucas pulled Maya in for a passionate kiss. Using his lips to tell her that he forgives her. That he loves her and that he always will.